R744 - natural and ecologically sustainable refrigerant

Decision in favor of the natural and ecologically sustainable refrigerant R744

From 2011, the current coolant R134a will be forbidden for use in air conditioning of new vehicle types throughout the EC. The car manufacturers represented in the German car manufacturers’ association VDA are the first companies in the world to agree on the use of the new coolant R744, that is to say carbon dioxide. The global warming potential of R744 is less by a factor of 1,300 than for R134a. Therefore the leakage portion of total CO₂ emissions does not apply to R744, so that by converting to the new coolant, the CO₂ emissions caused by air conditioning will be reduced by a total of 30%.

Beyond this, R744 offers a higher comfort level because the cooling of the heated vehicle cabin occurs much more quickly: the comfort point is achieved approximately ten minutes faster. R744 has slight disadvantages at extremely high temperatures in stop-and-go traffic. However, these can be reduced through a well-conceived design of the cooling module.
“14 years ago, Behr was the first manufacturer to begin working on R744 and has since been the leader in this field. An innovative leader needs to have great staying power! We are happy that the advantages of R744 could be confirmed during this long development period”, explains Markus Flik, CEO, Behr’s Board of Management.

The new, natural refrigerant R744 offers a higher comfort level (left) and protects the environment by a 30% lower total CO₂-Emission (right).